Me, the Barbie version
Hello Everybody!
Lucky me! I get to start the new month. I ran a couple short loops in the rain this morning. I bet I would have run stronger if I did not eat so many chocolate almond clusters last night. Still, it was a pleasant, soft, warm, rainy morning that made for a good run. I am happy.
Time to work on lunch,
Kitrin
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
Ultrachick
Hey Guys! Sorry I've been MIA. I don't know why-life is crazy. Finally got my race report done-it's wicked long-I'm almost ambarassed to post it and I left some stuff out. Let me get it onto my lame blog-I haven't added to it since the 100 last year and I'll put up the link. Should have it done by mid week (a deadline so I have to do it)-I have my first human biology exam due tomorrow night I need to get done first.
Otherwise, things are OK. Work is slow, kids are busy, I'm recovering well-10 miles or so today. Legs are feeling it a little. I registered for another 50 miler on Nov 7. Last race of the year then ski season.
Congrats Flower on your 50k, Leslie on Big Sur (way too hot for me) and Chris at your 100! Bummer about the flu after! Buddo I'll get to your training questions soon but in a nutshell Mon-easy, Tues-5K trail race series, Wed-mid-week long run, Thurs-Hill repeats, Fri-easy, Sat-long, Sun-longer. Most runs done on trails but some long runs done on dirt roads in the interest of time and other obligations. My only regret is not doing more downhill specific training to beef up the quads-a change for next year.
Early morning tomorrow-time for bed. Hi to everyone else!
Kelly
Still haven't put my report on my blog yet-it's on my mind! Got Biology test done last night. XC meet this afternoon-did I tell you I'm coaching a middle school team this fall? Oh and I put my name in the hat for Western States next year along with 700 other people when I last checked for maybe a hundred spots? I figure I'll start the process now and maybe I'll get in by the time I'm 50.
Hope everyone is well!
Kelly - Ya Hoo! on putting your name in for WS. Do they still have the policy of if you don't get in two years in a row, third year you're in? My buddy, Kate, wants to put her name in, as well. Not sure when she's going to do it, but if you get in and she doesn't, I'd crew for you in a heart beat.
Got back on the trails last Saturday for a nice, easy 7 miles. It was nice to be the one leaving early instead of watching everyone else leave. This Saturday - back up to 16. Oh well. Guess the break couldn't be expected to last forever. I go talk to Coach tomorrow evening about training for the next six months - - - which leads me to a question for you long haul peeps . . .
What kind of a run/walk do you incorporate when you're running 50 and up? I've been terrible at sticking to a run/walk for the 50ks, but know I will have to for the 50-miler if I want to have any chance of finishing. Coach has been trying to do some research, but hasn't found a whole lot on the 'net. From what I've been reading and gleening from others, it goes from 20/2, 20/5, 15/5 ad naseum. I know it will be a matter of playing around with it to figure out what works best for me, but it never hurts to get input from you experienced folks.
I don't follow any sort of schedule. I walk the big climbs and run the downhills and flats when at all possible. I try to follow the "Gerber pain model of running vs walking". This model states that if it doesn't hurt much worse to run, then run as long as possible so the pain ends quicker. Seems to work... I ran nearly even splits over the first 50 and 2nd 50 miles at the Bear 100.
I try to follow the "Gerber pain model of running vs walking". This model states that if it doesn't hurt much worse to run, then run as long as possible so the pain ends quicker.
Sounds good to me!
Sat and talked with Coach for about an hour this evening. Got a bit of a handle on how to tackle all this. I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but I figure you can't be too prepared.
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I ran nearly even splits over the first 50 and 2nd 50 miles at the Bear 100.
Now that's impressive!
San Francisco - 7/29/12
Warrior Dash Ohio II - 8/26/12
Chicago - 10/7/12
I'm with Chris, Leslie. No run/walk schedule-run as much as possible and walk as you need to. Certainly walk the uphills and maybe that's something you need to work on is walking faster. The couple guys that I ran with for a little while during the 100 would get away from me on the flats and downhills but I would always catch up on the uphills because they weren't particularly fast walkers. Get the arms swinging to get the feet moving. A lot of times, the terrain will dictate as well when you walk or run. Of course, with you being out west on those nicely manicured trails with switchbacks compared to my eastern trails of rocks, roots and going straight up any type of incline, you should never have to walk!
Let's see if I can get a race report and pictures posted today.....
Certainly walk the uphills and maybe that's something you need to work on is walking faster.
I found this to be my weakness. But am correcting. I've discovered that I can often power walk a hill faster than I could "run" it.
Get the arms swinging to get the feet moving.
This is something I really have to work on. I have a bad habit of not swinging my arms when I'm power walking (or attempting to power walk) hills. My friend, Karen, is a freaking goat on the hills. It amazes me. But I got 'er licked on the downhills. Put us together, and we make one good ultra runner.
I ask because I've been experimenting with running at different paces, trying to get faster, ditching the low hr training. Just checking things out. I figured out my anaerobic threshold is like 161 or so so I set my hr monitor to go off at 160 at which point I would walk. Getting used to feeling different levels of effort. Running like this for 2 weeks tired me out, so I haven't run for a few days and my ankles acted up a bit. Also been throwing a little barefoot running in there too. It feels so good on my knees and hips. Anyway, trying to get all the biomechanical issues down so I can't start logging miles. Got 23 last week, which is the best so far for me this year being hurt and all. Great to see you all doing some cool races. I will be doing a 7 mile trail run at night next weekend, technically a race but just a run for me. It's a haunted trail run with people popping out at you and such and ends at a german beergarten. Should be cool. Everybody be cool. Later.
"Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.
Hey, Greg! That 7-mile next weekend sounds like a blast.
Chris and Kelly - My goal is to work on my powerwalking.
16 trail miles this morning in 4:18. My legs are very tired. Going from 10 last Saturday to 16 this Saturday, then really working the hills pretty much did me in. Unfortunately, we got waylayed about halfway through by a cop giving people tickets for not having their dogs on leashes. We were stopped for at least 5 minutes for that one.
The story - we run in the Arcata Forest, and even though the signs say dogs must be leashed, it's not something 99.99% of the people adhere to. We all see each other all the time, and all the dogs are friends. We do the majority of our run on the side where there are more people actually exercising, as opposed to the side where there are lots of vagrants. However, a couple of months ago, we started venturing over to the "dark side" just to give us a change of scenery. (Vagrants are huge problem in Humboldt County, and particularly in Arcata.)
Today, as we were passing through the park over there, a cop was giving a group of vagrants tickets for not having their dogs on leases (we're talking 6 or 7 dogs). According to the cop, they had received complaints that morning about these people. Well, here we come through with Charlie Dog, and the cop yells, "You're dog needs to be on a leash." Us: "Okay!" Well, I guess one of the vagrants asked him why he wasn't ticketing us when they got tickets. Soooo, he yelled to us again, we stopped, and Karen got a ticket. She wasn't upset 'cause like she told him, we were in the wrong. He said he didn't want to give her a ticket 'cause he understood that we can't run (well, she and Coach couldn't run) 24 miles with a dog on a leash and would've let us off with a warning, but . . . . WE actually felt bad for the cop 'cause he felt bad about having to give Karen a ticket.
Anyway - moral of the story: Carry a leash with us from now on and stay away from the vagrants.
Happy
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Question to Kelly and other fast walkers: When you walk fast uphill does it not gt your heart rate very high? Do you consider high heart rate during an ultra to be a no no? What is your experience and your thoughts on this?